Between Dream and Destiny
by koyou
Summary: Because Dream is not Destiny, and it isn't by choice that they chose the paths they have been walking till now. What happened seven years ago...if only they could take it back. But do they really want to now?


**Disclaimer: **I absolutely own my plot, and my own characters, should there be any. Other than those, I own nothing.

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**Between Dream and Destiny **

**By Koyou… **

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**Prologue…**

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Seven years ago…

"_Don't do this. Please…. I don't want to shoot you." _

"_You must choose. Just as all of us must. You have chosen before to leave and fight against us as enemy. Now, since it's too late for either of us to turn back, we have to choose again. Do it, Athrun, or I will." _

"_I hope you're satisfied…" _

Six years ago…

"_I have spoken to him, the new Chief Representative of ORB. He seems like a good man. Cagalli…she would have approved of him." _

"_That's madness! I can't believe you rejected the offer!" _

"_I don't want to force you into this but, Athrun, I think we should get married." _

Five years ago…

"_Ay, a lot have changed these past couple of years. And we owe all of this to you. Will you come back to visit again sometimes?" _

"_I guess…we will have to take him then. Uhh…what's the child's name again?" _

"_I heard she's pregnant…" _

Four years ago…

"_I did not expect you to come down by yourself, is all. Mister Athrun Zala." _

"_Who the what? He's here with the king?" _

"_What will you name him?" _

Three years ago…

"_Siegel. And I thought that they would name him after you." _

"_I'm sorry. I'm so sorry… If it's not because of me, you would have been…" _

"_I love you." _

Two years ago…

"_Tonight I would like to sing for my two very dear friends whom I have lost to the war five years ago…" _

"_Even now I still cannot forget you." _

"_I'm pregnant, Athrun." _

One year ago…

"_So, this is ORB… It's a beautiful country, Mother." _

"_Grandfather Uzumi was very brave, wasn't he, Father?" _

"_I'm Zaki. Zaki Yamato. Goodbye, Mister. I hope Siegel won't get lost like that again." _

Now…

Her small hands curled around her mother's long hair, little Lenore looked on with wide eyes as the strange man pushed her mother to stand behind him while her father, she could barely saw him, threw one bad man into the pond where she had seen the pretty fish earlier.

"Athrun, behind you!"

Her father turned quickly around and was able to dodge another bad man who tried to hurt him with a knife. He hit at the man's wrist with his hand and---

_Bang! _

Lenore was startled at the loud noise. Scared, she began to cry, burying her face in her mother's shoulder, holding onto her tightly.

"Cagalli!"

_Bang! _

She kept crying and crying. She was so scared. The noises – the scary noises were so loud!

But it was already over.

A while later, she heard her mother's soft voice whispering to her soothingly. "Shh…It's all right. Everything's all right now, sweetheart. Don't cry anymore. Shh…"

Refusing to let go, little Lenore sobbed distressfully, clutching tightly the soft fabric that was her mother's shirt.

"Are you all right?" asked a voice – kind and gentle – calmly. "Is she hurt?"

"No," her mother replied, a slight tremor in her sweet voice. "We're all right. Thank you…"

"Lacus! Lenore!"

Lenore gave a small start but quickly turned around, recognizing the voice of her father, and reached to him. "Papa! Papa!"

Her father took her into his arms gently and, just like her mother had done, whispering soothing words to her as she cried.

"Mother! Father!"

Still very much distressed, Lenore barely paid attention to the call of her brother, Siegel, who came running toward them and straight into their mother's arms.

The strange man looked at them for a moment then left.

Her sobbing reduced to sniffling; Lenore clung to her father as he spoke softly, reassuringly to mother and Siegel. But then their mother suddenly cried out.

"Kira! Kira, Cagalli, please wait!"

Lenore wiped her face on her father's shoulder and turned around to look. Why her mother looked so upset? And what's that light in her father's eyes? Why he looked so sad?

Shifting in her father's arms, she turned and she saw them.

Some distance away, the strange man, a woman, and a boy were about to leave the park, but they stopped at her mother's calling.

The man, his arm wrapped around the woman's shoulders, looked back at them calmly. The woman, her head resting lightly against his shoulder, did not look. Her eyes were close and her face was pale. The boy, his hand holding the woman's, frowned at them with clear displeasure.

"Cagalli…" a disbelieving whisper.

Lenore looked up at her father curiously.

"Kira…Cagalli…please…" her mother's voice was breaking as she called to them and there were tears in her beautiful blue eyes. "Don't go. I… We… please, we need to…talk."

The man glanced down uncertainly at the woman, who opened her eyes and gave him a small nod. The boy seemed exasperated but he followed them anyway.

Her arms tightened around her father's neck slightly, Lenore watched them approach, still feeling a little scared.

"Mother, who are they?" Siegel asked. She didn't answer.

They stopped a little distance away from them. The boy was openly scowling now as he regarded them with angry eyes of dark indigo.

"Lacus. Athrun," said the man quietly; his voice as kind and gentle as the first time she heard. "It's been a while."

Next to father, her mother began to cry.

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**Author's Note: **

(happily) That's much better for a prologue. Anyway, thanks to **hlin**, **Inulover4eva**, **djb21212-Steeldramon21**, and **mariad** very much for reviewing. I didn't expect reviews for that one at all, actually, so I was very happy when I got them. It's quite, quite lame, honestly, when I read it again. But because of it I got this one out at last, so, I think I will leave it there for now. Later I will either get it fixed or put it, somehow, into this one.

Hopefully, I will be able to update again in a couple of weeks or so after my exam. Until then!


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